Operating panel device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9734967-B2
Application number	US-201414905784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An operating panel device includes an operating ring, and a display device which is disposed to face a back surface of the operating ring. The display device includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The first portion is located inside the operating ring, and the second portion is located outside the operating ring. The third portion connects the first portion and the second portion. A display of the first portion changes in conjunction with a rotational operation applied to the operating ring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An operating panel device comprising:
an operating ring having an operable front surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface; and
a display device including a first portion located inside the operating ring, a second portion located outside the operating ring, and a third portion connecting the first portion and the second portion, the display device being disposed to face the back surface of the operating ring, wherein:
the third portion is an arcuate groove portion formed at a surface of the display device, the operating ring is disposed in the arcuate groove portion of the third portion, and
a display of the first portion changes in conjunction with a rotational operation applied to the operating ring.

2. The operating panel device according to claim 1 , wherein the operating ring is one of a plurality of operating rings, and the operating panel device includes the plurality of operating rings.

3. The operating panel device according to claim 1 , wherein the operating ring includes:
a rotary part having a ring shape and provided with a guide groove over a whole circumference on a surface facing the display device;
a fixed part having a ring-shaped flat plate portion, and a guide rail portion projecting from the flat plate portion and located inside the guide groove over the whole circumference of the flat plate portion;
a ball stored between an inner peripheral wall of the guide groove of the rotary part and an inner peripheral wall of the guide rail portion of the fixed part, the ball being in contact with the rotary part; and
an elastic body stored between the inner peripheral wall of the guide rail portion of the fixed part and the ball, the elastic body including a first end in contact with the fixed part and a second end in contact with the ball,
wherein click ridge portions having projections and depressions repeated over a whole circumference are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the guide groove of the rotary part, and the elastic body urges the ball against one of the click ridge portions.

4. The operating panel device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the surface of the display is a cover lens, and
the arcuate groove portion is formed on the cover lens.

5. The operating panel device according to claim 1 , further comprising a rotation detecting sensor for determining a rotational operation of the operating ring.

6. The operating panel device according to claim 5 , wherein the rotation detecting sensor includes any one of a photo sensor, a magnetic field sensor, and an electrostatic sensor.

7. The operating panel device according to claim 5 , wherein the rotation detecting sensor includes at least two magnetic field sensors, and a rotational operation of the operating ring is determined based on a difference between inputs of the magnetic field sensors.

8. The operating panel device according to claim 5 , further comprising a control circuit for changing a display of the first portion based on an output from the rotation detecting sensor.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukui Satoru
• Tanaka Tsuyoshi
• Nishimura Seiichi
• Sonoda Sho
• Shitanaka Hitokazu

Classifications

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• H01H19/14

  Operating parts, e.g. turn knob · CPC title

• H01H19/025 Primary

  Light-emitting indicators · CPC title

• G05G1/105

  comprising arrangements for illumination · CPC title

• B60K37/06

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic